By Adeyemi Robinson-Adefioye, Lagos
Boxing fans in Nigeria and across Africa will, on 2 April, watch GOtv Boxing Night, the continent’s premier boxing show return with two World Boxing Federation (WBF) title bouts.
The show, which holds at Mobolaji Johnson Indoor Sports Hall of the Rowe Park Sports Hall in Lagos, will be behind closed doors in line COVID-19 safety protocols. It will however be telecast live by SuperSport on DStv channel 209 and GOtv channel 34
The night’s biggest bouts will see two Nigerians in action against foreign opponents.
Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu will take on Ghana’s Emmanuel “Afuko Addo” Quartey for the WBF Intercontinental super featherweight title, while his compatriot and West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion, Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, will duel with Tanzania’s Mkalekwa Salehe Omari for the WBF International welterweight title.
Five other bouts, across weight categories, are also lined up. The light heavyweight division will see Timothy ‘Nsiefinagaije’ Gonze up against Segun “Success” Olanrewaju in a challenge duel. In the super middleweight category, Femi “Small Tyson” Akintayo will try Sulaimon “Olags” Adeosun for size.
The super featherweight division will equally see Yusuf “Innocent” Ogunbunmi test himself against the slightly more experienced Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja” Shogbesan.
Two other welterweight bouts will see Sikiru “Lion” Ogabi against William “Kaki” Amosu and Isaac “I-Star” Chukwudi against Taiwo ‘Gentle Boy’ Olowu respectively.
This edition of the event, its 22nd, was billed to hold on 1 January, but was postponed because of a spike in COVID-19 infection figures in the country.
